Strong
by Xpages-written-in-the-starsX
Summary: Seventeen-Year-Old Kai Bourne's been taking care of her five-member family on her own for five years. Since her best-friend-turned-enemy became the Darling of the Capital. When she's chosen for the 70th Hunger Games, Finnick will do anything to save the girl he's loved all his life. Regardless of whether or not she reciprocates. How will Kai react in the aftermath? In the Quell?
1. Under the Sea

"Often overlooked, District 4 plays an essential role, bringing us the bounty of the sea. These citizens are adept with nets and tridents, and can swim like fish themselves."

―Description from _The Hunger Games: Tribute Guide._

* * *

She weighs the trident in her hand before plunging it forward. The familiar feel of it sinking into the fish comes before she wades forward, lifts herself onto her own boat and removes the weapon from the dead fish before lowering herself back into the sea. Her teal eyes close as she sets her palm against the top of the water. Her father used to take her with him when he did this. To teach her. This was something she learned before he died in an accident with a trident last year. Another fisherman found him dead. Bled out in the water before he could make it back. He always used to tell her not to move, to keep stationary and use the vibrations in the water to sense the oncoming fish.

It worked. It's the only way she keeps her mother, 10-Year-Old sister, and twin 8-Year-Old brothers alive.

The ocean's her escape. It's the only place she can be truly alone. _How far could I swim before they'd stop me?_

"Kai, you're still out here?" A soft voice says from behind her. She glances briefly over her shoulder to see one of her neighbors—wading into the water beside her.

"The Reaping's tomorrow. I wanted to stay out here as long as possible in case I never get to see the ocean again. I had to say goodbye to dad."

"It's understandable. But, you should go to the festival. Tyde would want you to."

"The Festival is barbaric. We're celebrating the fact that all but _two_ kids in the District made it through the year. And next year, we'll do the same. Pretend like the Tributes don't exist. It's sick."

"Be careful where you say things like that, Kai Bourne." He says calmly, setting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing.

She sighs, but lifts herself over the side of her boat and drops the heavy trident down beside her. He towed her boat the small distance to shore and helped her out. She picked up the basket she'd weaved earlier to keep her fish in and he lifted it from her.

"Kai, enjoy life. Don't dwell on death anymore. I'll take this. You head on home and get ready for that festival. The Odair boy's supposed to be there."

A smile flashes briefly across her tanned features. Finnick, who used to fish alongside her with his father before he won the Games last year.

Enakai and Hani glance up when their elder sister tears through the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. Noelani sits on her bed, dressed with a teal flower at the base of a French braid, in a flowy dress of the same soft material. Noelani looks like a mini version of Kai—curls of sun-bleached copper hair, lighter in color than their mother's, sharp sloping and angular features, and the dark tanned skin all residents of District 4 have.

"Where have you been? Mama said you're going to take me to the Festival. She has a headache again."

"Of course she does." Kai rolls her eyes as she strips the sopping wet clothing and wrings her hair out with nimble fingers, traipsing over to her closet to try to find something she was willing to wear in front of the rest of the teenagers in Four.

She pulls on a seafoam dress with golden straps and a belt at the waist, and ties a black elastic around her still-damp hair, slipping into golden slippers with the only three pieces of jewelry she owns; a golden bangle on her wrist and a necklace with a trident that hangs down to the plunging neckline of her dress.

"Let's go." She snaps at her younger sister as they head into the square.

Kai stands in the middle of the throng of swaying bodies, dancing what could be their last night living away. Her hips sway as she lets the music guide her movements, eyes closed.

"Keep moving like that and I'm going to get arrested, because I'm going to get into a fight tonight." An arrogant drawl that made her jaw clench says inches from her ear. She steps forward, making more distance between him and herself before she turns on her heels and crosses her arms over her chest.

"I don't think that's any of your business." Her voice fills with ice. The strong boy she'd cared about for so long died when he went into that arena. He was arrogant before, but his head was the size of Panem in general. Irritating.

"It used to be my business."

"Yeah, a lot of things about me _used to_ be your business. Not anymore. Shouldn't you be with the adults? Getting drunk and taking advantage of women willing to open their legs for you?" As the red-headed girl makes her way to a table with various drinks from the District, and cold water, he follows, setting his hand on the inside of her forearm. A shiver runs through her and Kai's body goes rigid to keep from giving him the satisfaction of effecting her.

"If I wanted to do that, I'd be there. But, I'm not. I want to be here with _you_." He whispers, fixing his green eyes on hers as he tugs her closer to him.

"You're not _with_ me. Look, you're rich now and you don't need to be out working in the water with us, I get it. I don't need you. I thought I did, but I can manage fine on my own."

"Kai, please. You're my best friend."

"What? Please what, Finnick?" She snarls, her face moving closer to his.

"Please don't shut me out. I need you."

"No, you don't. You have plenty of female company as it is, Fin." Her hair whips him in the face as she stalks back into the crowd. He closes his eyes and lets out a harsh breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

_That went well._ He thinks.


	2. Reaping

"The will to live always outweighs the ability to die."

—Anonymous.

* * *

She knows he'd follow after her. It's only a matter of time. She moves her hips at a rapid pace of dips, circles, and figure eights. When his hard body presses flat against her back, Kai doesn't fight him, nor does she stop dancing. Finnick slides his hands down to rest on her hipbones, drawing her back further against his chest as he mirrors the movements of her hips with his own.

She feels his fingers untie her braid and comb through her copper hair before brushing it to one side. Her knees tremble when he mouths over the skin of her throat and she grips his arms to keep from collapsing.

"Can we talk?" The blonde whispers, pressing his lip against her pulse point. Kai decidedly interlocks their fingers and tugs him out toward the beach. Just as they used to, they plop side-by-side on the damp sand.

"I miss you, K." He says.

"Fin, what if it's my name that gets called on that stage tomorrow? I'm not like you. I can't kill people." She replies in turn, resting her head against his strong shoulder, drawing circles on the back of his hand with her fingertips. He shudders at the small action but turns his palm over and plays with her bony fingers.

Kai hasn't been afraid of hardly anything their whole lives. But the Games? It's her worst fear for herself. Her grandmother won for District 5 in the 40th Games. It wasn't something her family thinks of as an honor. Finnick knows that.

"If your name gets called on that stage tomorrow, I won't let anything happen to you. I'll make sure you come home." His nose buries into her hair, inhaling.

"I'm scared," She croaks, biting her lip to keep from crying. His hands hook underneath her thighs to pull her onto his lap, tucking her head into the crook of his neck. They'd sat like this multiple times when they were younger, before everything went sour.

"Are we ever going to talk about the kiss?" He mumbles in attempt to distract her, tilting her chin up to look at him, stroking her lower lip with his thumb.

"I can't believe you remember that. I—I thought you were going to die in the arena. I got swept up. It was five years ago." She mumbles as her face burns, "You've kissed a lot of girls since then."

His mind strays to it—to her kiss.

* * *

_Fourteen-Year-Old Finnick sat in the Justice Building. His parents said their goodbyes already, and he thought it was over before the door swung open, revealing a puffy-eyed Kai, no longer wearing her reaping dress. He recognized his white tee shirt on her—with her shorts. She'd been wearing that shirt for three months, since she lost her dad and he slept next to her to stop some of her crying._

_"Finnick," Kai squeaked, choking on tears. He drew her against him, arms around her shoulders._

_"Ssh. It's going to be okay." He told her._

_"I love you," she whimpered. She said it since she was seven—when he punched a kid for calling her names. It meant something different the older they got, but neither of them would admit to it._

_"I love you too." Tears blurred the boy's vision and spilled over as he backed into a chair and ran his hand through her hair. Her eyes met his and they simply stared at eachother for a long moment before she leaned in slowly and pressed her lips firmly against his. Finnick froze before he slid his hand up into her hair and moved his mouth feverishly against hers._

_They both were too young to be kissing like they were aiming to go to bed, but...her fingers fisted into his hair as her free hand moved to the curve of his neck. When they broke apart, her forehead pressed against his as she skimmed her nose across his._

_"Come back, Fin." Kai whispered, before she stood and was led from the room by Peacekeepers._

* * *

She bites her bottom lip as she waits for his response.

"I don't kiss them on the lips."

"So you are doing what I think you're doing for money,"

"I used to," he admits. He can't tell her why—not with Snow's old threat hanging over his head. "I haven't done it since I turned nineteen."

"Why? If you were so well-off from the Games, why do that?"

This is getting into dangerous territory.

Before Kai can have even another rational thought, his mouth covers hers. Her eyes close and her heart hammers against her chest and he pulls back, pecks her a second time, and then stands up.

"That's why. Night, Kai. I hope if I see you tomorrow, it isn't on that stage."

Her lips tingle from his kiss long after he's gone and into the next morning. She showers and dresses in silence, pinning her soft hair back with small, silver pins, that matches the silver birds in the pattern of her navy dress that hits her mid-thighs. Being older than the others, she walks alone to the Reaping. Her blood sample's taken and the euphoric feeling fades into pure terror.

"And so it was decreed that each year, the various districts of Panem would offer up in tribute, one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice." And the president's voice subsides.

"Ladies First," The woman says before stepping up to the round glass bowl. Fingers close around her own and Kai catches a glimpse of a neighbor girl's face before turning back to the podium. She moves her gaze to Finnick on the stage, his brows knitted together in concentration.

"And the Tribute for District 4...Kai Nicole Bourne." Her stomach clenches before it plummets. Her pulse rushes through her ears.

Finnick feels his heart stop and then ache at the sound of her name, of her footsteps as she makes her way onto the stage. He wants to pull her into his arms, against his chest like last night. But, he has to wait until they get on the train. She doesn't cry.

Her mind goes blank, senses shutting down in response to the hell she knows is to come. She doesn't register her feet moving until she's inside and slipping into the room to say goodbyes.

Noelani, Enakai, Hani, and their mother all entered and she was being embraced by all her siblings at once.

"Mom, you have to step up and stop laying in bed all the time. You know how to fish and Lani can do her basket weaving. I love you, and I'm going to fight to come home." She whispers and watches as they disappear from her room. Her hands cover her face as she tries to make the splitting headache go away. That's when the door swings open and familiar even footsteps echo as the hurry toward her. Finnick bends down, pulls her against him and presses his lips to her forehead.

"Everything's going to be okay, I promise."


	3. The Declaration

Finnick strokes her copper hair as she finally falls asleep in his lap with her forehead rested gently against his collarbone. Mags sat across from them, a grim expression on her ancient, kind face.

"I love her, Mags." He whispers, "She's...I won for her." His green eyes fill with emotion—depth most men don't even skim the surface of when loving. Finnick lifts her hand and kisses the inside of her wrist affectionately. Kai sighs at the way it leaves her skin vibrating; even asleep.

Mags mumbles something about feeling sorry for him before hobbling down to her room in the train. He sighs, turning his full attention back to the seventeen-year-old, pressing his lips to the crown of her head next. One arm comes beneath her knees while the other snakes around her lower back.

Finnick is so gentle with her it's almost reverent as he carries her to her room, sets her in bed, takes off her sandals, and then draws her sheets up around her.

Kai wakes with a scream stuck in her throat, the horrors of the past games haunting her. Her cry wakes both her fellow Tribute and both her mentors, who both run into her room to find her clutching a pillow to her chest and sobbing into it.

"Kai," he whispers. She jerks upright at the sound of his voice and throws herself into his arms with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Ssh. I've got you—it's okay." He whispers, kissing her hair. Her fingers fist around his collar as she takes deep, painful breaths as she keeps him close to her.

"Mags, Thames, I've got her. Go on back to bed." The two disappeared, and Finnick lifted her. He sat on the bed, his back against her headboard, and kissing her forehead, her cheeks, the bridge of her nose.

"I-I can't do this!" She sobs.

"Yes you can. You have to." He pleads, tucking her soft hair behind her ear and locking their eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I love you." He whispers, "I'm in love with you, Kai."

"Wha-What?" She stutters, blinking quickly and trying to process. No. He couldn't love her. She wasn't statue-gorgeous like him. He sets his fingers underneath her chin and tilt her head up to meet his eyes.

"I. Love. You." He whispers, "It's why I won, why I came home, and I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't risk Snow hurting you. Kai, I-" Her mouth covering his stops his sentence, her fingers slipping up into his bronze hair and fisting as she shifts further in his lap, to straddle him.

"I love you too." She admits, pulling away and nudging his nose with her own. He grins before pulling her back to him and sealing their lips together, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips. Her moan spurs him on and he doesn't think about it when he lowers her backward on the bed and hovers over her. Kai's knees instinctively part and wrap around his hips. He groans when the younger girl arches her hips up into his. A gasp tears through her lips when she feels his hard-on press against her belly.

"F-Finnick?"

"I can't help it. I'm sorry." He mumbles, kissing her cheek softly.

"Don't be sorry," Her fingers run along his cheekbone, "It's incredibly sexy that the most gorgeous man in Panem is affected by me."

"Sexy, hmm?" He teases, ducking his head to place small, wet kisses along her shoulder and up her neck. Her giggle turns into a moan when his mouth brushes against her pulse point.

"Fin," She breathes in his ear as she glides her palms down his chest, "I want you. Please." He lets out a loud groan when her fingers unbutton his shirt to drag her nails across his rigid abdominal muscles.

"We can't. It's against the laws for Mentors and Tributes to mess around."

"Mess around? Is that the way things would be with me?"

"No," he groans, "I want to—believe me. I just...I don't want to give them a reason to murder you in that arena."

"No-one would have to know." She replies.

"Why is this all of a sudden important to you, K?" He whispers, dragging his fingertips along her lower-lip. She stares at him with her dark emerald eyes before kissing his fingertips.

"Because I've waited for..." Her face burns as she finishes in her head. I've waited for you.

"For what?"

"You. I love you. I've always loved you, and I wanted my first time to be with you." She kisses the inside of his palm, "This is important to me because I could be dead in the next week and I don't want to die without showing the man I love how much I love him. Finnick, I want to make love."

"And we will. Just not tonight," he breathes, "I want to make it more special for you than it was for me."

"Promise?"

"I promise," he presses his lips against her nose, "Right now, I want you to come back up here and let me sleep with you in my arms the way I've wanted to for years."

She moves up and slips under her sheets and falls asleep with his arm around her stomach. Finnick doesn't sleep. He buries his face into her hair, inhaling her addictive sea-like scent.

"I love you. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you come back to me." He murmurs gently in her ear. Kai snuck up on him. He gradually fell in love with her over the course of 17 of his 20 years of life. Everything about this girl draws him in, and by some miracle she still loves him. After he "ignored" her for years to be a sex slave in the Capitol. It's morning when the train arrives in the wretched place. Her fingers are fisted into his shirt, her cheek rested over his bare chest. She sighs contentedly as he kisses the top of her head and slides out from beneath her. The man freezes when she lets out a whimper of protest and a smirk crosses his face. He strips his shirt completely—laying it beside her on her mattress.


	4. Mermaid

I own nothing besides my OC's. Everything else belongs to Suzanne Collins!

* * *

"I'm bracing myself for collision in the backseat of my heart's decision...

And I feel like nothing can save me: It's something I just can't undo.

'Cause I can't not love you."

- Every Avenue, **I can't not love you.**

* * *

My fingers search out Finnick's warmth, only to find him gone. He left? I lift the fabric beside me, inhaling his scent before I slip Finnick's shirt underneath the mattress—to keep it.

He smiles broadly at me when I enter the breakfast car, taking my hands and leading me to stand between his knees, moving his large hands up under my shirt—caressing my stomach and hips. I groan at the feel, biting down on my bottom lip harshly.

"Sleep alright?"

"Until you left," I accuse.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to be there when I woke up, but I couldn't risk getting caught." He mumbles, brushing his fingertips against my jaw. A giggle breaks through my lips when he tickles my ribcage. He grins at my reaction, stealing all my breath away.

"I love you," I remind him, resting my hands on either side of his face.

"I love you more." His green eyes locked on my lips and I shivered. When I heard footsteps, I half-leaped onto the other couch and tried not to look ruffled.

* * *

My stylist is a thin woman named Marin with a hook-nose, aqua blue skin that I assume is supposed to resemble the ocean, silver facial tattoos, and too-big teeth.

"You are absolutely gorgeous!" She squeals, examining me curiously, "I have a masterpiece to work with,"

"Thank You," I reply uncertainly. When I see the dress they've chosen, I whimper. They're going with the "sexy" approach with me. I guess it's the muscles in my legs from swimming.

It's a holographic blue ball-gown style dress that clings to my body down to the hips and flares out for just over two inches, barely covering my backside. With every movement, the fabric shimmers and moves the same way the ocean at home did.

"Marin, it's absolutely gorgeous. Thank you." I say, turning around and taking both her hands, "I love it."

They've put streaks of blue throughout my hair, to match.

I think of my grandmother. Of how this hurt and affected her. How she became a vegetable and had to return to a mental institution, where she died. I have to be stronger, because I have someone worth fighting to come back to. I _want_ him. I want to tell all the Capital Citizens where to shove it because he's mine, but I can't do that until we get married. I want children with him. I want everything with Finnick, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let any of these Tributes take that future from me.

_I have to be deceptive and cold-blooded. I can't see them as other humans anymore. The Capital needs to love me in order for me to survive. _I roll my shoulders back as I step into the chariot, letting a wide smile come onto my face and working my body to get attention from all of them. When I see Snow's face I have to swallow the hate threatening to spill out. The old bastard made Finnick have sex with all these old, horny people. I didn't dare ask if any of his clients were male. If I did, I'd throw up.

I want to rip him to shreds, but keep that hidden underneath a superficial mask of fake excitement. He wants a show? I'll give him a damn good one.

When we're towed back inside, I don't have a chance to think before I'm pulled into a dark corner and his mouth covers mine. Soft, full lips. Finnick. I reach up and slide one set of fingers into his hair, and the other up underneath his shirt, and scrape his abs again. His skin is so freaking soft, but rock-hard muscles sit in stark contrast beneath. Our tongues tangle together, his hands running along the outside of my thighs before he draws them around his hips and presses me further against the wall. The bronze-haired mentor groans against my lips, his hips bucking against mine again the way they did on the train. I think my eyes roll backward in my head a little bit, and a moan tears through my chest as I mirror his motion.

"I forgot to breathe when you were on that chariot." He breathes in my ear, kissing just below my ear, "You're so damn gorgeous."

"_Me_? Have you seen yourself Finnick Odair? You're the best looking man in the country. Haven't you figured that out by now?" I murmur. Then we break apart and step out from the shadows separately. If someone saw us, they had to have been hiding. We slip into an elevator with one of the mentors. When she sees Finnick, I see a smile cross the beautiful woman's face before she throws her arms around him. I swallow heavily and glare at the floor.

"Come here." He says calmly when they step apart, taking my hand and interlocking our fingers, "This is Johanna Mason. Johanna, this is Kai Bourne."

"So, you're the girl he hasn't shut up about since I met him. It **_was_** nice to meet you." She smiles sourly and steps out of the elevator. I scratch the back of my neck and clear my throat quietly. He suddenly turns me toward him and cups my face between both his large hands.

"You have nothing to be jealous of. Johanna is just a friend. My only real friend besides you. There's never been anything between us, alright? I've only ever wanted _you_." He wraps his arms around my waist.

"Fin, the cameras." I whisper before he can kiss me. He sighs, as frustrated as I am, before he pulls back entirely and leans against the opposite wall. My head leans back against the smooth glass as I try to stop the pulsing through my body from the kiss downstairs. Well, from the movement of both our hips.

"I have a separate apartment I'm staying in." He murmurs when we reach the door to mine, "I want to sleep next to you, believe me, but I think I've acted suspicious enough around you for one night."

"Okay," I sigh before I grasp the front of his shirt, pull him to me, and press my lips roughly against his. Kissing him one more time before I go to sleep, "I love you."

"You too." He takes my hand and kisses the back before I watch the elevator doors close behind him.


	5. I'll Fight For What I Love

I slam the base of my palm against the trainer's sternum, kneeing her in the face as she falls and then pinning her to the mat with a blade to her throat.

"Good." She praises with a small smile. I stand up and then move to the survival station and absent-mindedly tie knots with a small length of rope and untie it again. Again. Again. Until I look down, and I've constructed a small noose and imagine it around Snow's neck. Tucking the rope back into my pocket and move to the weapon's station. A trident, silver and heavier than the one I use at home sits, untouched, in front of me. Hefting it onto my shoulder, I throw it with a grunt of pain at the weight. It clears straight through the dummy, severing the body in half.

"Damn, Four." An arrogant voice says beside my ear, a strong body pressing against my back. The hell?

"Can I _help_ you?"

"Well, there's something you _can_ help me with, but I doubt you'd want the others to see it." I jerk away from him when he does so, glaring at him. It's the Tribute from District 2; Nero.

"I'm not interested in any kind of sex with you, Two." I respond icily, picking up a spear and throwing it.

"It'll be fun." He murmurs, "And, I see the way you look at your mentor, Kai. Everyone sees it. Do you really think the Capital's whore is going to want you for anything but sex?"

I react the way I would at home; my hand comes down hard on his cheek and he reels back in shock. We're not supposed to fight other Tributes. Under _any_ circumstances. But, I can't help it. I'll defend Finnick, no matter what. I don't yell something, like I've seen others—who seek drama—do.

I stare down at him curiously, watching the outline of my hand appear in red on his cheek.

"You little bitch!" He shouts, lunging forward and raising his hand to strike me. I duck away from his touch, kicking him square in the stomach. It does little. Nero follows me like a bear after a fish. I would know—I've fought one for a fish before.

I keep parrying while blocking his attacks. I vaguely hear us be dismissed by Seneca Crane, but I ignore it. The Games are starting for me _right now._ Screaming as his fist meets my jaw and then my ribcage, I force myself to turn and run down the hallway until I reach my elevator, letting out a breath when it closes before he can reach it. Blood fills my mouth, coppery, and when I try to move my jaw, it makes a sick cracking sound. He broke my jaw.

Finnick glances up at me from Thames' face when I enter the room.

"Kai?" He rushes forward, resting his palm against the uninjured side of my face while he examines the other.

"He-He's following me. I don't want him to hurt me again." I blurt out, curving my fingers around his wrists as he cups my face in both hands and kisses me lightly—ignoring the sharp intake of breath from my fellow Tribute. The blonde's forehead presses into mine.

"We have to take you to the infirmary. It's in the basement." Finnick wraps my arm around his shoulders and Thames ducks under the other side, helping me limp. I scream when they try to make me take a deep breath.

"Ribs," I whimper, "My-My ribs."

"He hit you twice?"

"Finnick, Kai hit him first." Thames pipes up. I want to slap the back of his head. _I didn't want him to say that!_

"Why?" Green eyes fix on mine and I have to remind myself not to get lost in the depths.

"He called you a whore." I shrug, "I wasn't going to let him talk about you like that."

"You're insane! Snow could kill you for this. Dammit, Kai!" He snaps. I flinch. I feel like a kid who just got caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

"I'm—I'm sorry," I whisper, "I was just protecting what's mine."

"I don't think she did anything wrong. She loves you, and she was protecting _you_!" Thames defends me, keeping me up with his arm slung around my back.

"You knew?" I whisper.

"If I didn't, that fight in the Training Room would've been enough for me to know. There's no-one else you'd punch someone for. I saw the two of you when we were younger; you two _always_ looked at each-other like love struck puppies. It's why I'm going to do everything I can to make sure Kai gets out of the arena alive."

It's the most I've heard Thames say, in 17 Years of life. I stare over at the tanned, black-haired boy, and feel grateful tears well up.

"I-I won't kill you, Thames. I can't."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that." He smiles, "You just worry about getting home the second we get in there, okay?"

The doors to the infirmary open, and I find Nero, and his partner, Althea, already speaking to the woman in hushed, intimidating tones.

"Oh, Lord!" A woman gasps at my bloody-mouthed, hunched over appearance, "Sit her down on one of the tables, I have to check for fractures."

Finnick wraps his arms under my knees and back as he sets me gently on the cold metal surgical table, pushing my hair out of my face.

"This worthless little Tribute needs to be escorted out." He growls at another nurse.

"He was making sexual advances and _all_ Kai did was strike him to get him away from her. Nero beat the hell out of her for it." Thames intercedes, lying for our benefit. The two District 2 Tributes disappear and I sigh, gritting my teeth as she examines my ribs.

"Fracture on the bottom two left ribs, break to the left side of the jaw." She mumbles, "I'll have to fix it surgically. Don't worry, dear-y, we'll make sure it doesn't scar your pretty face and body."

"No. Leave the scars, please. It'll make me look tougher." I smile, turning to look at Finnick and Thames. Both of them smile in response, the black-haired boy chuckling at me and shaking his head.

* * *

I watch the screen in anticipation for my score. I nearly missed my turn to show the Gamemakers my ability, being in recovery, but I still showed them how well I handle a trident, a spear, and my knot-tying. Finnick sits with his hand on my knee, fingers threaded through my own. A week ago, Nero disappeared and a new Tribute replaced him. Some massive being named Nash.

Thames plops down beside me on the couch, nudging me with his elbow and glancing at the tree incision scars I have. I've worn only half-shirts called Crop-Tops, to keep fabric away from my healing wounds; the two-inch long incision on my cheek—beside my jaw—and the two 9-inch-long scars sloping across my abdomen. They look brutal, and the Tributes have all been thinking that Nero got me with a blade. Let them. It makes me look tougher.

"I'm going to start calling you Scar. Fin has a nickname for you, so now I get my own."

"Whatever, hook-nose." I tease, shifting over and resting my head on my lover's shoulder. I don't know what else to call him. Boyfriend doesn't suit him. We're not married, and I have no ring on my finger. So, he's my lover. Although, that doesn't seem right either, considering we haven't…yet.

The anthem blares and I bolt upright, taking Thames' hands and clutching them tightly as we both watch the screen anxiously.

"From District One, Silk, with a Training Score of 10. And Nylon, with a Training Score of 11."

"From District Two, Althea, with a Training Score of eight. And Nash, with a Score of 11!"

"From District Three, Amaryllis, with a Training Score of six, and Shaviv, with a Score of seven."

"From Distict Four, Kai, with a Training Score of…TWELVE! For the first time in 70 years." My heartbeat stutters, "And Thames, with a Training Score of eleven! This is the District to watch, ladies and gentlemen."

I feel sick. In fact, I spring to my feet and sprint into the dining area, puking into a garbage can beside me. The contents of my stomach slosh against the sides as I clutch my stomach.

"They're going to kill me, now! I'm the biggest threat in the arena!" I shout as Finnick pulls my hair away from my face, kissing me on the nose.

"I love you. We're going to get through this, I promise." He murmurs, "Follow me."

I take his hand in mine and allow him to pull me up the stairs. We slip into my bedroom and he pulls me close to him, kissing my hair. Finnick's hands rest at the small of my back as he turns his head to press his lips against mine—trying to re-assure me. He's real. He's here, and he's not going to let anything happen to me. I reach up and slide my fingers into his hair. The blonde groans, his tongue sliding along my bottom lip to ask for entrance. I whimper in response, opening my mouth and allowing him to back me up until my knees hit the edge of my back.

"Do you…want to?" He says with a voice rough with emotion, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Why now?"

"Because I want you to remember that you're the strongest woman I've ever met. You're incredible, Kai. I love you, and I want to show you how much." Finnick says. In response, I reach down and free his shirt from his pants—tugging it over his head and tossing it to the floor of my bedroom. I hear him take a sharp breath when I bend down and move my lips over the ridges in his abdomen, keeping my hands on his hips until he tugs me up and kisses me again, lowering me gently to the bed.

"I love you." I tell him, tugging my shirt over my head as well and watching his green eyes go darker as they took in my body.

* * *

I wake up in the middle of the night with his arm around my waist, and meet his eyes with my chin rested on his chest.

"What are you doing awake?" I ask, drawing on his stomach with my fingertips. He shivers underneath my touch and I grin, scooting up until our foreheads press together.

"Watching you. Tomorrow, you have the interviews, and then the next day you go into the arena. I want as much time with you as I can get." Finnick smirks, pecking me on the lips. I groan, raise my knee to his hip and roll back onto my back, tugging him on top of me.

"I want more." I whisper, kissing his lips before he gives in.

* * *

We dress in silence the next morning, stealing kisses between layers of clothing. I flush when we walk down the stairs together, holding hands. Thames whistles lowly, causing my face to heat up with blush. I'll never hear the end of this!

"You two seriously need to learn to keep your voices down when you're going at it. You woke me up this morning with your…sounds." He teases. I hide my face in Finnick's chest, my arms around his abdomen.

"You're just mad you're not getting laid." My Finnick counters, kissing the top of my head.

It's the last good morning I'll have for a very, _very_ long time.


	6. Wicked Game

"Stop moving!" Marina shouts, after I've squirmed through the small pearl-ended pins she's been using on my curls. Finnick and Thames wait outside my room when I come out in the mid-thigh length teal dress that clings to my body like the other, fit and then flare. I examine myself in the mirror before I walk into the hallway. Finnick's green eyes darken as they take me in, his hands immediately grasping my waist and hauling me against him.

"You're so tiny," He breathes, "You fit perfectly."

"Mm. I'd fit better without this dress on," I tease, running my hands up and down his chest.

"Don't start something you can't finish."

The steely expression he's taken on with his last sentence unnerves me. I frown, trying to figure out what he could possibly be upset about. Oh. We won't have time after the interviews. They have to say goodbye to us tonight. A sudden driving force hits home in my chest, and I know exactly what I'll have to do. I _never_ want to see this facial expression again. And when I come home, I'll make sure he never looks like this again.

During my interview, I play myself off as a strong, silent kind of person. That nothing will ever get to me. Because I'm shutting down. Repressing emotions—so I won't _feel_ it when I kill the twenty-two others. Thames says he's going to take his own life, but I don't trust that. I can't. So, if it comes to the two of us, he'll be the first to fall.

And then comes the room where I'm going to have to say goodbye to him. The weight of Thames' fingers clutching me is the only thing holding me back from shooting through the ceiling. My heart's pounding against my chest cavity and a shiver of fear rolls through again.

The doors open, and I follow the line of his body with my eyes. I _**need**_ to remember every detail. Finnick looks nice as usual, in a dark grey suit with a clean white button up underneath. It cleans to every divot of muscle beneath the layers of fabric. He's so beautiful it makes my chest ache.

Mags embraces me first, her arms warm and tight around my shoulders. I lean my head against her collarbone, inhaling her scent that reminds me of my grandmother. Warmth, Sea Salt. The ocean. Home. Home. Home. When I open my eyes again, the world around me has gone blurry. My face burns with trails and I don't realize I'm crying until I feel the wet tears drop onto my chest. Thames embraces Mags next, and Finnick and I face eachother without saying a word. This magnetic pull between us sharpens as we stare. I don't know who moves first, but suddenly I'm in his arms with my face pressed into his dress shirt—over his heart.

Sobs wrack my body and I lock one finger around the opposing wrist to keep him pressed tightly against me. My mind flashes back to the feel of his body moving over me, the emotion inside those green irises as he made love to me. I don't want to go without him, clothed or naked, ever again. I love him. I'm not focused on coming home to my family anymore. I just want him.

"Please come back." He chokes out while dragging the tip of his nose along the curve of my neck, "Come back to me, Kai. I love you so much. I need you to come back or I'm going to lose my fucking mind."

I pull back, take his face between both my hands and force those now wet green eyes to look at me before I speak, "I love you. I'm going to win. I want a life with you. Wedding. Babies. All of it. I'll come home."

He places his forehead against mine, arms locked around my waist as our noses skim together. I close my eyes and enjoy it.

"You're allowed to take a token with you. Marina has yours. It was mine when I went into the Games. If I can't be beside you, I want you to have it." He whispers. I nod, surging forward and pressing my lips hard against his. My bronze-haired god's lips move fiercely against mine, nipping my lips and splaying his hand across the small of my back. I twine my fingers into his hair, fisting into it as the mix of both our tears roll down my face. He's crying, too. The door opens and I peck his lips one last time.

"I love you!" I call as he's tugged through the door with Mags. I break down seconds later. My knees collapse and Thames catches me under the arms to help me into a seat. I press the heels of my hands into my eyes and take short, shaky breaths. Hyperventilating.

* * *

Thames sits beside me and rubs my back. I don't stop gasping, or crying, until morning light floods the room. We rise together, linking hands as they lead us down to be taken…wherever the _hell_ we're going in the hovercraft. I wince when the syringe enters my arm, sending fire through the veins. I wince.

"What is that?"

"It's your Tracker. We need to know where you are at all times." The woman, clad in all white, says as she tugs the thick needle from my skin. I wince, reaching over to rub the aching space of flesh and sending the woman a dark, angry glance. Thames laughs beside me and I can't help but smile at the sound. How am I going to kill him? I pray I won't have to. That I won't have to watch it, either. We sit in silence, my stomach in my throat, as we're flown through the air until the daylight fades and we're lowered into the earth.

I've never done well underground. It's a fear of mine, being stuck somewhere without daylight. Without the ocean air. The thought's unbearable. My breath comes in short pants as my chest tightens. Thames pushes my head between my knees, rubbing comforting circles into my back and murmuring words of encourage to start breathing normally again. I close my eyes, press my fingers to my temples and focus.

Images of Finnick, of moments I'd been watching him grow up without me, of moments that made me fall more in love with him, flash through my mind. A panty-dropping smile during his interview before the games, his green eyes moving across the crowded square at home, pausing on me, and then trailing back to the other victors he mentored. The way his face would fall seconds before one of the wealthy women at home took him by the arm and led him into their homes. Watching his lips move as they formed the words _"I. Love. You. It's why I won, why I came home, and I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't risk Snow hurting you."_

I relax myself, sitting upright and rolling my shoulders back. I'm going to think like him. Whatever he'd do to win, to come back to me, I'm going to have to do.

Marina outfits me into spandex shorts that stop just above the knees, and a loose-fitting tank top whose straps curve together between my shoulder-blades. I believe it used to be called a "racer back". Heavy sneakers with laces on top of the feet. My blue-haired stylist crouches down and double-knots them before she holds out a necklace to me. My heart stutters. Oh. My. God. It's _the_ shell necklace. I gave it to him the first year we were separated in school. I was ten, he was thirteen.

* * *

_I watched in disgusted horror as the blonde-haired girl raked her nails up and down his forearm. We were at recess, on the beach while the eighth-years ate lunch in the enclosed cafeteria with glass on all sides. I sat on the sand, leaning against a friend's knees, watching them in envy. I hated this. I hated other girls being able to touch him._

_Ignoring their protests, I walked down the beach, playing with a length of blue rope my father gave me to help me focus. Pain shot through my bare foot and I jerked back, holding my foot and falling back onto my ass. When I lifted the source into my palm, I found the most beautiful shell I'd ever seen in my life. It was a deep copper color, the inside carved out in odd, connective shapes. I weaved the rope into a braid and threaded it through the top of the shell, tying it tightly at the back. The bell rang for class, and I didn't move. My eyes found the tide, pulling in and out with the rhythm of the ocean I'd grown so used to._

"_You're going to get in trouble out here," He said softly, plopping down beside me, "I saw you sitting with your friends, and then you just disappeared."_

"_I was tired of watching you with that girl." I mumbled, turning the shell over in my hand._

"_She isn't my girlfriend, Kai. I don't need one. I've got my best friend and that's the only girl I need." He'd told me, smiling broadly enough I couldn't help but smile too._

"_Then start wearing this." I held up the shell and he slipped it over his head. It hung low on his chest, but he reached up and spun the shell around in his fingers._

"_It's the same color as your hair." He pointed out, standing up and offering me his larger hand. I stood up, linked my fingers through his, and allowed Finnick to take me back to my classroom._

* * *

He's loved me longer than I thought. He wore that during his Games, and I had no idea. All I knew was he didn't come home to me. He moved into Victor's Village and didn't come back for me. I was young and angry. I sniffle, and Marina offers me a tissue. I grin at her after blowing my nose and then loop the necklace over my head. The sharp end rested against my naval. I didn't care. He was with me, now.

The stylist kissed both my cheeks, taking my hands and examining me with tears in her eyes, "I hope I get to see that beautiful face of yours again," And then a glass tube closed around me and I was lifted up to the surface. I'd closed my eyes on the way up. Spray from water caresses my skin and I immediately open my eyes.

It's a beautiful open land, full of tall grasses with reeds. I'm standing on a platform in the middle of rapidly moving water. A river. It's a river. The cold temperature sends a shiver up my spine and I examine the arena further. Mountains rise up high, high above my head and it takes a moment to realize we're in a bowl. With no chance of escape. The river winds around in a never-ending circle, a small island-type strip of land housing the cornucopia.

"TEN. NINE. EIGHT."

I crouch down, ready to dive and swim to the island.

"SEVEN. SIX. FIVE."

My gaze shifts around the circle of tributes until I find Thames, with Nash between us.

"FOUR. THREE. TWO."

He mouths Finnick's name and every synapse in my brain fires.

"ONE."

The current rolls me against another Tribute's stand. I wince, but kick with my strong swimmer legs until I break the surface. Thames' fingers close around the back of my shirt and he hauls me up beside him. Then we're running. Running as hard as we can. Either, I'm faster than him, or he's covering my back, because next thing I know I can't see him. I grasp a spear, turning on my heels to find him struggling with Althea, Nash, Silk, and Nylon. No!

A scream tears through my chest when an axe slides through the strong neck of my District Partner, and his head leaves his body. _This is what you wanted, you monster._ I remind myself, Biting back tears, I grasp a Backpack with weapons and sprint as hard as I can over the marsh terrain, diving into the river and narrowly missing a knife. I resurface on the other side and run down a hill—toward the mountains. I reach the mouth of a cave alongside the river and slide myself downward to the bottom of the cave, hiding out and wrapping my fingers around the shell necklace.

The boy who promised he'd protect me until the end is gone. Beheaded right in front of me. Four people want me dead for getting District Two's original tribute murdered. I'm alone. I made no allies during training, the man I love is sitting in front of a screen watching my pain and weakness, and Mags. Oh, Mags. Even if she were here, she couldn't protect me. I fall asleep curled into myself, the vivid image of Thames' blood on my hands weaving in and out of my dreams.

Five cannons go off and I find myself frowning. Only Five? That's the lowest amount to die in the bloodbath I've ever heard of. My eyes look up at the navy sky, and the reel starts with Thames' young face. District Twelve, dead. District eight's boy. District 6's girl. That's it. In the darkness, I find solace by the water. I've grown up in the water. It's safety. _What would Fin do?_ Decidedly, I take the long blades of grass beside me and slowly start to weave them together until I've made a small net. Down the bank further, a small white animal with long ears drinks from the river. I wait until it's just tugged back before I throw the blade as I watched Finnick do to the Tributes in _his_ Games and toss the spear until it severs clear through the brain. The water seems to be safe. So, I cup my hands and thrust them into the freshwater, drinking slowly and greedily for a long moment before I hear it. The sound of footsteps. I reach down, take my net and throw it while tossing the spear. A wet sinking sound enters my ears and I rush forward until I find District 5's boy dead on the earth.

"Nice tactic." A voice says. I turn on my heels, knife tugged free from my pack and aim it for the shadow's chest.

"Whoa. Down, girl. I want to make an alliance, not fight you. You're good with weaving, and we could use some help setting up shelter." A woman, the one from Three, murmurs. I gradually relax, remembering seeing Finnick and Mags talking to them after the Chariot entrance.

"I'm Kai."

"Amaryllis." She grins at me briefly, adjusting her thick-rimmed glasses. I purse my lips. A small beeping catches my attention and I look upward to find a silver parachute descending. I open my palm and it lands directly into it. Opening the silver container, I find cooked fish like the kind I used to catch at home.

_She's safe._

—_Fin_

I sigh, trusting him as I shift my pack onto one shoulder and the two of us tread back to her little group of allies. The District Seven girl.

"Thank God you got her." she says. They've cooked various dead animals, and now have nothing to hold them up to keep them safe in. I nod knowingly as I tie them a net as well, holding it open for them to put the animals inside, tugging it up to tie the net up in a tree—away from others. Animals and Tributes. I curl up against a tree and take first watch. They're not people; they're obstacles. In the middle of the night, I see the two girls in the Career Pack approaching, and slide into the water silently, holding onto the bank without being seen. I hear the sound of flesh being severed. A scream, and then another wet choking sound. Two cannons. I tilt my head back, and allowing air to flow into my mouth as quietly as possible.

"Find her!" A male voice bellows, "Get rid of Odair's little girlfriend."

I inhale sharply and then dive down to keep my sound level at a zero. I'm holding my breath for as long as possible by the time they leave. Lying flat on the earth, trembling and waiting to be murdered.

* * *

**3rd Person POV**

Finnick's fingers curl into a fist as he stares at the screen. His throat's turned dry as he sees her body slowly going into hypothermic shock. Mags sets her hand on top of his, trying to relax him.

"I want her out." He whispers brokenly, "I want her out, and I can't do anything."


	7. Lost Little Girl

You know, when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you black out. It's called Voluntary Apnea. It's like, no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct not to let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding. Then, when you do finally let it in, it's not scary anymore. It's…it's actually kind of peaceful.

—Stiles Stilinski, _Teen Wolf_.

* * *

I wake up, still shivering as I look up at the morning sky. But that isn't the sound that gets to me. It's the thundering sound that used to cause my mother's eyes to widen in fright. Flood. That's what she called it. A flood. I spring to my aching feet, glancing around me in time to watch the water start to rise upward until it's a large wave, high up above my head. My heart pounds in my ribcage and I immediately start sprinting as hard as I can toward the cornucopia before the wave crashes over me. Ice flows through my entire body. _FIGHT, KAI!_ I hear Finnick's voice in my mind and I kick to the surface, seeing the tops of the mountains. The wave starts to careen _toward_ the rocks and I realize something. We're going to _slam against the mountains_ if I don't hold onto something. No trees in sight, I dive back down to the Cornucopia, wrap my arms and legs around the metal and hold on. My chest burns with the effort to hold my breath, my head lightening. I can't open my mouth. I can't scream, no matter how much my body aches for air.

My heartbeat rises to my temples, throbbing through my head.

* * *

**3****rd**** Person**

"Hold on. Come _on_, Kai. Hold on!" He pleads, watching the intensity in her face as she holds onto the metal for her life. When the water starts to flush out, leaving bodies strewn across the arena. Except for her. The metal is so wet, Kai can't help it when she slips downward and crashes to the soaked earth. Her head slams back against the ground and she immediately goes limp. Finnick's green eyes go wide as he moves closer to the screen. Her chest is rising and falling. Slowly, but surely. She's alive. Kai opens her eyes moments later, forcing herself to her feet and moves forward to scrub the dirt from her body. The cannon sounds fourteen times. That leaves her and one other alive. How…how is that possible?

Kai drops to her belly when she hears the draw of a bow from behind her. Letting out a scream, she throws herself forward and collides with Nash—the boy from Two. Her little fist slams into his nose and then she rolls upward to pin him to the earth with her knee pressing into his throat.

"Die already, you worthless piece of shit." She snarls, elbowing him square in the face roughly before she lifts herself up and drops back down onto the human being willingly. His throat physically cracks and the cannon fires. She's won.

Kai wins.

Just before the hovercraft arrives, she collapses once again. Finnick's running to the infirmary before any citizen in Panem can even process what's happened. She's really coming back to him. He's waiting when they carry her in on a stretcher, stripping her clothes and examining for broken bones.

"Her first and second ribs are broken, puncturing the lung. Her pulse is 50, and dropping." The doctor whispered fearfully. Finnick felt his stomach plummeting to his feet at the sickening words. One of the doctors injected her body with some sort of numbing agent before one of them puts an oxygen mask over her beautiful face and slices into her abdomen, blood pouring out over her torso as they dug the ribs out of her lung. The steady beat of her heart on the monitor drops.

"We're losing her!" One shouts, and Finnick falls to his knees. Mags' arms are suddenly around his shoulders and she starts to tug him backward. He struggles, trying to get back to her, when someone grabs him by the arms and shoves him into the hallway. Haymitch Abernathy takes him by the shoulders and shakes him.

"You can't save her! You're getting in the way. Don't you get it? They can't let her die! She's the victor. Nothing's going to happen to her. You just have to sit down and shut up." He snarls, trying to calm the boy. Finnick presses the heels of his hands into his eyes and sinks down to the floor. His chest aches. If she dies…He's going to go home and drown himself, he decides.

"Clear!" A doctor shouts, and all hands leave the girl's body as the paddles come down hard on her chest. Her body shudders, but her heart does nothing. "Clear!" The fifth time the paddles meet her skin, her heartbeat returns, and they slowly close the wound in her lung, then her skin, and then wrap her torso with bandages. Her eyes open and she claws at the oxygen mask, screaming out of the sheer terror that she doesn't know where she is. Finnick sprints into the room, ignoring the protests of the other mentors.

She rips the mask off of herself, breathing normally now as she meets his jade gaze. He catches her when she throws her bare, broken body into his arms, keeping her pressed tightly against him as his face buries into the curve where her neck meets her shoulder.

"Finnick," She whimpers, her arms tight around his shoulders.

"I'm here. I've got you." He breathes, cupping her small face in his hands and kissing her forehead. She closes her eyes, and then the adrenaline of seeing him disappears and the pain returns full force. Kai cries out, and he slowly sets her back down on the table.

"Can you please get her some clothes?" Finnick grumbles, running a tanned hand through his bronze hair. Mags taps him on the shoulder and he finds a pair of his sweatpants and his tee shirt, for her. Baggy clothing that he remembers her wearing during weekends; when she wasn't required to fish. Carefully, he helps her tug the shirt over her head and the fabric of his sweats up her legs. His knuckles graze the inside of her calf and she moans, quietly. In spite of the situation, his touch still sends a tidal wave of heat through every inch of her. He grins at her, lifting her under the knees to help get the pants over her backside. She lifts her arms to let him know she wants him to carry her.

"I'm taking her to my apartment." No-one questions him. The entire world figured out he was in love with her during her interview, when the cameras caught him holding her when she came out of the room. It didn't matter to him anymore. Enough of his "friends" were so protective of their secrets, if Snow killed him or her, the entire Capital would rebel.

In his room, he lowers her to his mattress and then starts to tug the sheets up around her when her fingers fist into his shirt. She's watching him.

"Hold me." She whispers, reaching up and caressing his face with her fingertips. He sighs, climbing into the bed with her and letting her press into him, her nose pressed to his throat, her hands on his chest.

"You left me." He says into her hair, "Your heart stopped when they were fixing you. If it ever stops again, you're taking me with you. Understand?" She tilts her head up and covers his mouth with her own, kissing him gently as one set of her long fingers thread into his bronze hair. He, in turn, slips his fingers into the soft, copper hair at the back of her neck and kisses her back with all the fear he's had the past two weeks they've been apart. She shut down when her body wasn't warm enough, and slept for nine days. Undisturbed, because the others were on the other side of the arena. No-one else could swim to the small strip of land she'd been on.

"Finnick, I want you." She breathes, her hips grinding up against him. He groans, grasping her hips in his hands and forcing them back to the bed, away from him.

"No. Not until you're all healed up. I don't want to be the _reason_ your heart stops again." He tries to say when she turns her head to drag the tip of her tongue up his neck.

"Please," She whines, "I want you so much it hurts."

"Why are you so horny, hmm?" He replies, running his thumb along her lower lip, "You've been awake ten minutes, and you're demanding sex from me."

"You're addictive, Fin. That isn't my fault." Kai breathes, pressing their foreheads together and skimming her nose across his. He grins. At least she's slowing things down. Addictive. That's not something he's used to hearing to describe him. "I love you." She adds.

"I love you too."

With no more fight inside of her, she buries her face into his chest and dozes off again.

* * *

Her eyes don't leave the cold, grey ones as the President steps forward and lowers the golden crown to her head. The tendrils of copper hair hang down to the curve of her bottom, now, her scars visible on her face as she stares up at him. Her face is hardened with anger. Those four years she lived without Finnick were _his _fault. The nightmares, of Thames' death over and over and over, was _his_ fault. She wonders how much it would take for her to grasp him by the throat and cut off his air supply. The girl flinches when his lips press to her cheek.

"Give my condolences to your mother," A jolt runs through her when he says this and pulls back with a sour smile. Her heart stutters and she finds herself fisting her hand into the fabric of her dress. When the cameras have left her, her knees give in and Finnick gathers her into his arms, keeping her against him as she shook.

"My mom." She chokes.

* * *

But when she reaches the train station at home—she's nowhere to be found. Neither are her siblings. Instead of waiting for "protocall", she lifts her skirts, kicks off her heels, and runs. Finnick calls after her as he takes off right behind her. This is how their lives have always been; Finnick chasing after Kai to stop her from doing something stupid.

Her house is gone.

Only ash is left of the life she loved so much. He stops short behind her, finding her heaving anything she's eaten in the past few days out on the pavement. His fingers hold her hair back to help her before he flattens her against his chest.

"They're gone! He-he took them a-away from me!" She sobs, "What did I do wrong?"

"The cornucopia. You used it to out-smart them, and this is what they're doing to repay you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispers into her hair, letting her sob into him and walking them away from the carnage. For weeks, she doesn't sleep. All she does is lay in their bed, staring blankly at the wall across from her. Aside when she showers. And goes to the bathroom. He doesn't try to stop her. In fact, he lies down behind her and holds her against him. When she's ready to talk, she will.

"Finnick," She murmurs quietly, just as the sun's rising.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want you any further away from me than you are right now." Kai tells him, rolling over and wrapping her arms around his neck. He strokes her cheekbones with his thumbs before he responds.

"Whatever you want. I'll do whatever you want."

The nausea his her like a train and she pushes out of bed, running for the bathroom and puking into the toilet. He follows, worriedly. She stares over at him, eyes widened and fearful.

"Can you take me to the hospital?"

"Why? What's going on?"

"Fin, I think I'm pregnant."

When the doctor comes to tell her, she doesn't have to question it. She knows she is. And the joy she _should_ feel with having a child doesn't come. Instead, it's terror. It's another thing the Capital can take away from her if she ever angers them again.


	8. Victory

Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters—mothers and fathers don't die.

—Edna St. Vincent Millay

* * *

**5 YEARS LATER**

Slow kisses being placed on the inside of my calf and along the arch of my foot is the first thing that registers with me. I force my eyes open with a groan, throwing my arm over my eyes. Finnick, kneeled at the end of the bed, laughs at my reaction and I jerk my legs from his grasp, tugging them to my chest. He slides up my body, pulling my arms free and pinning them on either side of my head with his. My husband glides his nose along my jaw, kissing across the length of my cheek and down to the corner of my mouth.

"Wake up, baby. You know she's going to be in here in about five minutes. So, kiss me before our little girl gets up." He murmurs. I laugh out loud, turning my head and capturing my lips with his. He groans into my mouth, his tongue sliding across mine as it slips into my mouth. I groan, pulling my hands free and running them down his bare back. Sometime after I fell asleep, he put sweats that hang low on his hips on, and his shirt with my bra and panties on me. Still, I part my knees and move them up to his ribs. Finnick's hands slide up under the cotton to run across my belly. I moan, nipping at his lips until I hear.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Our little firecracker, as I call her, comes running into the room on her little legs. Finnick groans, pulling back and rolling back onto his side. We both scoot up to sit with our backs to the headboard and I laugh as Victory throws herself into my lap, kissing me soundly on the cheek. I wrap my arms around her little body and grin at her.

"Good morning, Beautiful." I whisper, kissing her forehead, "Are you hungry? Let's go get you fed, and then you have to take a bath. And no, swimming outside doesn't count."

I stand up, and watch her cross her arms with a pout.

"Victory Noelani Odair, get out of that bed, or I won't give you the present daddy and I made for you." I raise my eyebrows at her. Sighing, she turns to Finnick for help. Luckily enough for me, she got most of his looks. The angular, gorgeous bone structure. Breathtaking emerald eyes, thick lashes. His naturally tanned skin. The only thing our child inhereited from me was my hair. Thick, copper curls that flow down her back.

"You heard her. Come on." She leaps up onto his back, giggling as he hefts her up and carries her down the stairs on his back.

I tickle her ribs as they come to stand beside me in the kitchen. He sets her down on a stool and breezes behind me before snaking his arms around my body. I laugh as I lean back against him, enjoying his lips against the back of my neck for a long moment.

"Alright birthday girl," He says, picking up the small wrapped box and setting it in front of her. I tuck myself into his side, resting my head against his heart as I watch our five-year-old rip into the box and gasp as she pulls the small bracelet out. He braided the rope himself and I searched for a shell like the one around my own neck.

"It's so pwetty!" she gasps, rubbing the smooth edges between her fingers in awe. I sit down beside her and help her tie it on.

"Tank You, Mommy." She whispers, standing up on her stool to kiss me gently on the cheek before leaning over the counter and kissing him on the nose, "Tank You, daddy."

"Anything for the birthday girl," He replies, but shifts his gaze to me the second she begins to eat the cereal I've poured into a bowl. The TV bursts on, and the anthem blares loudly through the house. I wince, lifting her into my arms as he takes the bowl and we enter the living room. I curl up with my daughter in my lap and Finnick beside me with his arm around my shoulders. I run my fingers through her soft hair, kissing the top of her head.

President Snow takes the stage and my free hand fists at my side. Finnick pries my fingers lose and slides his through mine. He absently plays with my wedding band and I shake off the feeling of dread I've been having since I discovered the Quell was this year.

President Snow goes on to tell us what happened in the previous Quarter Quells. "On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it…On the fiftieth anniversary, as a reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen, every district was required to send twice as many tributes."

That was the year Haymitch Abernathy won. I used to think he was a pathetic, drunk excuse of a man, until I won. Then I understood him. I was lucky enough to have Finnick to keep me from self-medicating. That and little Victory, whose eyebrows narrow. She's known since she was a child, that I disliked our President. The little boy in white, who can't be older than Victory, steps forward, holding out the box as he opens the lid. We can see the tidy, upright rows of yellowed envelopes. Whoever devised the Quarter Quell system had prepared for centuries of Hunger Games. The president removes an envelope clearly marked with a 75. He runs his finger under the flap and pulls out a small square of paper.

"And now we honor our third Quarter Quell," Without hesitation, he reads, "On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors."

"No!" I shriek, setting her down and springing to my feet, "NO!"

"Kai, stop. You've got to calm down."

"NO!" I turn on my heels and sprint out of our home, down the drive until I reach the ocean. I strip his shirt and dive into the water, the only place I feel safe anymore. Once underneath, I open my mouth and scream at the top of my lungs—causing me to cough up water once I break the surface. Tears run down my face as I sob, sinking to my backside in the shallow water, letting the waves crash against my ribcage. No. The Tributes are me and Mags. Even if Mags goes in instead of me, Finnick will have to. He's the last living Male Tribute. A second scream tears through my lips and I have to cover my mouth with my hands to staunch the sound.

"Baby, breathe. Please, please breathe. Don't disappear. I need you. Victory needs you." He whispers, one arm beneath my knees and the other underneath the small of my back as he carries me back inside. I strip my wet undergarments and dress myself in denim pants and a loose-fitting tank top. Victory pushes herself into my arms and buries her face into my shoulder after I lay down.

"Mommy, wha's wrong?" I hear her murmur. That's when I lose it, I burst out sobbing. Finnick picks her up and carries her out of our bedroom, murmuring softly to her in explanation that I'm sick and she needs to be a good girl and play with her toys in her room until he comes back to get her. His face has darkened when he returns, eyes dead. I reach for him and pull him down on top of me, the way we'd been earlier…when we were happy and playful. I run my fingers along his jaw and press my lips to his skin in a trail behind my finger.

"I can't lose you." I whisper.

"We don't have a choice. Mags will volunteer for you. Promise me you won't let our daughter watch the Games-"

"SHUT UP!" I scream, slapping him roughly across the face in anger, "I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO TO THE GAMES AGAIN ALONE! YOU DIE, I DIE, REMEMBER?!"

"OUR DAUGHTER NEEDS HER MOTHER!"

"SHE NEEDS HER FATHER, TOO!"

He stops for a moment at the sound of the doorbell. I trail after him slowly. My heart stops when two Peace Keepers stand in our doorframe.

"Kai Bourne Odair?" One asks.

"Yes. Is…Is there something I can help you with?"

"We've come to take you to District Five."

"What the hell for?" Finnick grumbles defensively, his hand back on my hip. It occurs to me so suddenly and with so much strength my knees tremble.

"Because I'll be going into the Quell for District Five."

"What?" His green eyes shift to me.

"They have no living female Victor. My grandmother was the last one to die, so I have to take her place." I murmur, my stomach dropping.

"No. Can't you take some other Victor's family member?" He snarls at them. I turn his face to mine, go onto my tiptoes, and press my lips against his. He wraps his arms around my waist as he kisses me with force, cupping my face in his hands as he pulls away.

"Finnick, I love you. Okay? I'll see you soon."

"Mommy? Where are you going?" Victory says from the staircase, peering curiously at me.

"Come here. Mommy's going on a trip for a little while. I'll see you soon, I promise." I tell her, lifting her up and crushing her to my chest. She sniffles as I set her down.

"Is it because Daddy yelled at you?"

"No, sweetie. I love Daddy."

"Is it that mean man on TV?" She whispers, tears swimming in her big green eyes.

"That's enough." One takes me by the arm and leads me out the door.

"Mommy! No! Mommy!" She screams, lunging for me. Finnick throws her over his shoulder as our daughter sobs into his shoulder.

"I love you!" I shout to both of them, staring at them until we're out of sight. That's when I rip my arm out from their hold.

"I can walk by myself." I snarl, "Don't fucking touch me."

I curl up in a seat on the train, my cheek rested against the glass as I'm pulled away from my life. From the two halves of my heart. I can almost _hear_ Victory crying from where I sit.


	9. Is It So Wrong?

Don't want to wait 'til it's gone. You make me strong…

When I'm not with you I'm weaker. Is that so wrong?

Is it so wrong that you make me strong?

Think of how much love that's been wasted. People always trying to escape it.

Move on to stop their heart breaking, but, there's nothing I'm running from.

You make me strong.

—**One Direction, **_**Strong**_**.**|

* * *

"_I'm _**not**_ naming our child after your mom, Finnick." I argued one night. Finnick smirked at me, his palm splayed out across my stomach, stroking my belly. We laid facing eachother, our legs tangled up underneath the sheets._

"_Why not?"_

"_Because Rozinnia is an awful name." I argued. He lowered his mouth to my abdomen, puckered his lips, and blew a raspberry against my skin. I squirmed around, giggling wildly before he came closer again, stroking my cheekbone with his thumb._

"_Well, I'm not naming her after Noelani. She was your little sister, and she was a good kid, but she was the most talkative little girl I've ever met in my life." He murmured. I tried to think of something that would matter to both of us. I bolted upright into a standing position as it occurred to me, stroking my swollen stomach in thought._

"_Victor, if it's a boy. Victory, for a girl. Don't you think that would fit?" I asked. Finnick Odair grinned at me, picking me up into his arms and spinning me around several times. I laughed, hiding my face into his shoulder before he set me back down on the ground._

"_It's perfect."_

My eyes flash open at the end of the memory, and remember I'm lying in what feels like a prison cell in District 5, waiting for the citizens—who loved my grandmother so much—to gather in the square. Rolling out of bed, I crossed the length of the room and glanced down at the crowd. Why? They knew their Victor was stolen from District Four to represent a District I care nothing about.

I dress in silence, slipping into the dress they've left me. Funny, it's the same color as the dress I wore to the last Reaping I was a part of. I was never asked to mentor again after I had Victory in a Capital Hospital. Finnick left the Sponsors to come to her birth, and both his Tributes died. Snow's punishing us for that. I reach up, braid my hair, and then pin it in a crown on my head. He's ruining my life, then I'm going to remind him that I was a Victor.

I won't be controlled anymore.

The train ride is in silence—the unknown partner staring at me with contempt. He knows who I am. Who my husband is. He knows I'll kill him the first chance I get in the arena. I take all the tapes of the Victors I'm going to be facing in the arena, except one. Because I was paying attention to every detail of his Games. Finnick's. What's going to happen if it gets down to the two of us? I won't kill him. He won't kill me. We could do nothing. Stay together until the Capital chose who won.

Johanna Mason won the year Victory was born. When her family was murdered, Finnick and I befriended her. Me more than him. He doesn't trust her, and now I can't either. Everyone is a threat to Finnick's life. To mine.

Eventually I fall asleep, in my dress, leaning back against the couch. Fingers closing around my shoulders pulls me from my slumber and I act on reflex. I throw them across the room, against the wall with a knife from the dinner tray over their throat. When I realize it's the mentor for District 5, I relax and toss the weapon back to the tray.

"Never sneak up on a Victor, understand? I don't need your help. I'm not voluntarily going in for District 5. I'm a District _**four**_ Tribute and I intend on siding with them, no matter what. That man in there's life means absolutely nothing to me."

"We've arrived at the Capital." She says coldly, and then I'm running. Leaping down off of the train and sprinting full-force into the building, the elevator, and jamming my thumb into the Button labeled #4. I drum my fingers against my thigh as I sit through the ascent up to the apartment. The doors swing open and I step inside.

"Finnick?" I call. Steps thunder down the stairs from the bedrooms and I whip around just in time to see him look at me before he scoops me into his arms and kisses me fiercely.

I wrap my arms around his shoulders and move my lips with his, pulling away to press my forehead into his, kissing the wrinkle between his brows from when he frowns, his cheeks, pecking him on the lips. We've been apart for a total of three days. It felt like years. It's the first time in five years we've spent more than a few hours apart.

"I missed you." He says, setting me down and cupping my neck with his hand.

"I missed you too. Where's Victory?"

"Sleeping upstairs. I'll sleep on the couch so she can have the bed." He shrugs.

"No," I tell him, "_We're_ going to sleep on the couch."

"You have a big bed in your apartment, Kai, you don't need to sleep on an uncomfortable couch."

"I'm not going to stay away from you, Fin. Remember when I told you I never wanted you further away from me than this?" I lean in until my lips brush his, every inch of me pressed into him, "I meant it. Our daughter is upstairs, and I want as much time as I have left with her."

"You're coming home." He whispers, "I'll protect you."

"I don't want to live without you." I remind him, stroking his jaw with my thumb. He turns his head and kisses the inside of my palm gently.

"We can talk about it tomorrow. Right now, let's go to sleep." He whispers. I nod, letting him take my hands and lead me to the couch. He curls up behind me and pulls me against him. His arm winds around my waist as he presses his lips against the back of my neck.

* * *

I find Victory lounging in a chair the next morning when I open my eyes.

"Mommy!" She squeaks, kneeling down in front of me, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart." I murmur, lifting our blanket and allowing her to curl into my chest like a teddy bear. She accompanies me down to get dressed for the Chariot Rides. When I see my stylist, I can't help the scream that comes through my lips in delight. Marina—my stylist from my games—is standing waiting for me. This time, her skin's a milky white color with tattoos the color of waves crashing over her face. I throw my arms around her, laughing as she spins me around once and sets me back down, taking my arms and examining me.

"My beautiful Tribute's all grown up now. Look at you, you've got the sexiest hips I've ever seen in my life!" She giggles, forcing me to spin for her, "And is this your daughter? My God, she's beautiful! She looks like you."

"I thought she looked like her father; Finnick Odair." I reply, smirking as her eyes go wide and flit back to the 5-Year-Old. She hides behind my leg, scowling up at Marina. She's not used to seeing people who look like this. Odd and terrifying. I lift her up onto my hip and tickle her belly. She bursts out laughing and my prep team can't help but join.

"I'm going to set you in that chair. Please, be a good girl for me, and don't move." I warn her. Victory nods, plopping down and watching me with curious green eyes as they scrub my skin, and apply all the makeup they believe necessary.

"We're still dressing you to represent District 4. That's who you are, not from Five as they're trying to make you. Your costume matches your…husband's…Congratulations, by the way, Finnick Odair is quite the catch."

"Thank you. I know." I reply, unsmiling. Marina helps me into a gown, tightening the back of it and ties it. It's fit-and-flair like my first dress. Teal glitter scatters the top, and slips down the silk fabric. It's like water. Like a wave crashing against beautiful white sand at home. I grin as I glance at my hair. It's curled and falling to the bottom of my shoulder-blades with a crown of White Roses—like the one Snow wears in his lapel—on top of my hair. I smirk.

"You're amazing, Marina, as always." I whisper, turning and examining myself. She's just as sarcastic as I am. I look like a woman this time instead of a child.

"Mommy, you look like a princess!" My daughter giggles. I didn't realize she was being primped until I look at her. Her dress is a similar one to mine. White silk with thick straps and teal glitter. They've put pearly pink gloss on her lips, and a rhinestone shell necklace on her. My little baby girl is a piece in the Games, too. I just didn't notice it until now.

"C'mere, beautiful." I whisper, scooping her up and setting her on my hip again. She clutches the neckline of my dress. I step up into my teal stilettos and then walk with her on my arm. I'm the only Tribute with a young child. All the others' children are adults, or they don't have children. Victory hides her face in my chest when they shout and holler my name to get my attention.

"Ssh. Victory, look at me." I tilt her chin up to look at me, "You have to be a big girl. I want you not to show them you're afraid. That mean man from TV is going to be here. You can't say anything to him. If he looks at you, don't look away. Show him you're my big, strong girl. Okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Mommy." She nods. I grin, kiss her on the forehead and continue to walk with her until I find my chariot. I lift her up and set her down in the Chariot before strong arms snake around my waist and his chin rests on my shoulder.

"Fin." I greet, turning my head to brush a dry kiss across his lips and then hop up into the chariot with my baby.

"Daddy, daddy, look at me. I gets to wear a Princess dress!" Victory holds out the sides of her dress to pose for him.

"You look beautiful, Tori. Just like your mom." The dark tone of his green eyes makes my heart race and my body throb.

Victory does just as I ask when I lift her up and let her look at the Capital citizens. I'm not going to let her be afraid of Snow. My daughter is going to be strong, like her parents. He broke us. Both of us. I refuse to allow that to happen to her. When Snow sees her, his mouth twitches in discomfort. Good. I want him to be afraid of what my child can do. I smirk at him, waving at him and keeping her pressed into my side. She doesn't waiver. Her little green eyes stare him down until we're out of eyesight.

I don't think I've been more proud in my entire life.

"Good job, Victory. You're such a good girl." I tell her, when it's over, kissing the top of her head, "I'm so proud of you."


	10. Alliance

Victory jumps from my arms and skips over to Mags; whom she considers her grandmother. The first person I catch sight of on my own is Johanna. A squeal tears itself from my lips and I throw myself into her arms, hugging her tightly. She's become something of a friend to me, and now I'll have to kill her. She squeezes me before she sets me back down.

"You look incredible." She scowls, "I hate you."

I know she doesn't genuinely hate me. I laugh in response, taking in her gawd-awful tree getup.

"I think your stylist hates you." I tease. She wrinkles her nose.

"I'd like to put my axe in her face." She murmurs. Shaking my head, I squeeze her shoulder seconds before Finnick's arms wind around my stomach and he hauls me back against his broad chest. I lean heavily against him, reaching down to run my finger over the metallic band of his wedding ring. His lips press against my jaw and a smile spreads across my face. When I glance up, I find Johanna smirking at us as she rolls her eyes.

"You two are so adorable, it's sick."

I giggle, stroking the back of his arm with my fingers before I turn around and loop my arms around his shoulders.

"Hey." I murmur, "Hi."

"Hi." He replies, kissing the tip of my nose.

"Oh, how nauseatingly sweet." A male voice says. I glance up at the source—Haymitch Abernathy. Smiling, I pull away and give him a one-armed hug. He pats between my shoulders before he turns to his two infamous tributes. And I thought my stunt, holding onto the cornucopia, was big. I'm looking at the spark to the uprisings.

"These are my Tributes; Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Finnick, it seems you've already introduced yourself." A sly smile graces my husband's face and I elbow him in the ribs.

"If he did anything to make you uncomfortable, I apologize." I say as I shake the youngest Tribute's hand.

"This is Finnick and Kai Odair." Haymitch says. Katniss raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh, so, you two are married?" She murmurs, more to herself than to us. I grin and nod once at her and then turn my attention to Peeta.

"Peeta," I say, shaking his hand as well.

"Kai," He nods in response. I feel Finnick shift forward to press against me, setting one hand on my hip as the other shakes Peeta's hand. He's staking his claim on me. As if he really has to do that.

"Mama!" I hear Victory shout again, and kneel down to scoop her up in my arms again. Finnick kisses the top of my head as he smooth's out her hair.

"Who dis?" She whispers, her eyes focused on the three Tributes from Twelve.

"Victory, this is Peeta and Katniss." I reply, "And the long-haired one is named Haymitch."

"Hay-mish?" She raises one of her eyebrows, "He's stinky."

All of us burst out laughing and Haymitch smiles.

"She is definitely your kid, Kai." He murmurs. Victory leans into my ear so they can't hear it, looking straight at Peeta.

"He's pretty, mommy." I grin. My little girl has a crush on Peeta.

"Why don't you tell him that yourself, Tori?" I whisper, shifting her higher on my hip.

"You're pretty." She tells him. He smiles broadly at my little girl.

"So are you."

Her face burns red and she buries her face into my throat. I pat her gently on the back and then she leans back, reaching for Finnick. I hand her to him and he easily holds onto her—kissing her hair this time. He laces our fingers together as we head for the elevator. She's asleep by the time we reach the fourth floor and Mags stops us inside. She hovers her hand over Victory's head and points to _her _room. Telling us to take Finnick's and she'll sleep on the touch.

"I can't let you do that-"

She vigorously shakes her head and I can't disagree with her any longer. I walk up the stairs with Victory, deposit her into the bed, change her into her pajamas, and then head into Finnick's bedroom. The second we get the door shut he lunges for me—grasping my face between his large hands and crushes my lips with his. I moan, tangling one set of my fingers into his hair and running the other up and down the bare skin of his torso.

"I hated all those women gawking at you, especially the ones that got you first." I mutter against his mouth, kicking my shoes into the corner. Finnick growls hungrily, curling his fingers around the backs of my knees and lifting. I jump to snake my legs around his hips. His tongue strokes mine as he lowers me to the bed underneath him. I literally tear the bottom portion of his costume off leaving him in his boxers.

"You're wearing too much, Mrs. Odair." He murmurs in his deep voice. I whimper, arching my back for his fingers to unzip the dress. He tugs the silk down my legs and throws the fabric onto the floor. His mouth leaves a trail of open-mouthed kisses down my sternum, down to my naval. His tongue dips into my belly button and I writhe underneath him, arching my hips into his pointedly, pulling him back up to me and sealing my lips to his, tilting my head to take a swipe of his jaw with my tongue. He moves downward, sucking on my pulse point roughly. I sigh in response, unclipping my strapless bra—tossing it into the pile of my clothing.

"No more playing, Finnick." I breathe. My giggling turns into a moan when he kisses me and pushes me against the duvet.

* * *

I take his hand in mine as we walk into the training center together. An array of tridents sit in the pile of weapons and I immediately pick it up, lifting it onto my shoulder and throw it through the target, sliding across the floor and picking it up to stab a second electric dummy in the stomach, ducking out of range and sinking it into its belly. I smile as I make my way back over to my husband, interlocking our fingers and pulling him close to peck him lightly on the lips.

"Let's see if you can do better," I whisper, brushing our lips together. He smirks, lifting the trident onto his own shoulder before taking down two more holograms than I did. I wrinkle my nose, bumping my hip into his teasingly.

"Tonight, I need to tell you something. When there aren't eyes on us…Just, get Peeta as an ally. He seems to like you better than he likes me." Finnick whispers into my ear. I nod, interlocking our fingers lifting them to kiss the back of his hand pointedly.

Then I head for the mat to practice weaponless combat with Johanna. She smirks, swinging at me. I duck underneath, striking her in the diaphragm once. The woman sweeps my legs out from under me and we both burst out laughing as we stand. Peeta's practicing at one of the punching bags, cringing when his knuckles pop as they meet the fabric.

"Try it like this," I say, setting my hand on the core muscle of his body and straighten him up, reaching forward and untucking his thumb from his fist, showing him the easiest way to punch, "If you punch with your thumb tucked, you're going to break it."

"So, like this?" He asks, quietly, repeating what I showed him.

"Mmhm." I rub his back between the shoulders the same way I used to do for my sister. He's the same age Noelani would've been. He reminds me of Finnick, before he was in the Games. When he wasn't cocky. I love Fin, all parts of his personality, but I miss the kind side from home whenever we come to the Capital.

Peeta's easy to care for. As easy as my friendship with Johanna was.

"Why are you helping me?" He asks, gently.

"Brutus, Enobaria, Gloss, and Cashmere, have it out for you and Katniss. I'm just trying to help you live as long as possible, Peeta." I tell him quietly.

"Why do they hate me so much?"

"They don't hate you; they hate Katniss. Glimmer was Cashmere and Gloss' younger sister and they were hoping she'd follow in their footsteps."

"Really?" His eyes widen slightly in surprise.

"Yeah. So, watch yourself. The two of them are talented at stabbing people in the back." The venom in my voice doesn't go unmissed by Peeta.

"Why does it sound like there's more to this story?"

"There is. I'll tell you about it at lunch. Okay?" He nods and smiles at me. I ruffle his hair before I go back to showing him fighting steps. He learns quickly. The entire time, I _feel _Finnick watching. I swallow down the reaction to turn and look at him. Johanna steps in to help and then tugs the neckline of my tanktop over slightly while I'm taking a drink of water.

"Your husband should be a little more careful with hickey placement, Kai."

I accidentally spit it out all over her. For a long moment, I think she's going to embed her axe in my head any second, but she simply scowls at me and gets back to sparring with Peeta. We all make our way across the room to watch the Girl on Fire shoot. When she doesn't miss a target, I shake my head. How am I going to get Finnick out with her there?

* * *

**3****rd**** Person POV**

"Good news. At least half the Tributes want you as an ally. You have your pick of the bunch, Sweetheart." Haymitch says, looking at the two unsuspecting Tributes. They don't know. They don't know that they have 7 Tributes ready to risk their lives to keep these two safe.

"I want Wiress and Beetee."

"Johanna calls them Nuts and Volts." Peeta says in a low voice.

"Okay," Haymitch nods, "Who else?"

"Mags." At Katniss' words, the blonde boy shoots her a dark look of sarcasm. "Fine. Then no-one."

"I'll tell them you're still thinking about it." Haymitch rolls his eyes and slips back into the hallway.

"And?" Cressida prods.

"She wants Mags, Wiress, and Beetee." He murmurs, "The boy didn't speak, but I know he wants Johanna and Kai."

"Kai doesn't know. She hasn't agreed to it yet."

"I'll talk to her." He whispers.

Finnick takes Kai to the roof with him, spinning her around and then tugging her to his chest. Slow-dancing, with his arms around her waist and lowering his mouth to her ear. It takes a moment for him to come up with the words to explain to this woman—the one that he's loved his entire life—that he's joined the revolution, wants her involved in it too, and that he's going to play bodyguard in the arena along with Johanna. When his words sink in, she jerks back and stares up at him with a hurt expression flashing across her face.

"You'd…You'll risk your life…for her?"

"She's the Mockingjay, Kai. She's the reason people are brave enough to rebel." He whispers back. She shakes her head as tears well up in her eyes and spill over. He cups her face between his hands.

"You're willing to risk _my_ life for her to win!" Her voice breaks.

"No. Not win. Once she destroys the arena, Plutarch is going to pull us out. Okay? We'll be alright."

"You can't account for the other Tributes who aren't a part of this! I hate Cashmere and you _know_ why we're going to be at eachother's throats!"

"Kai, stop. Stop." He cups her face between his hands and pecking her on the lips, "I'm sorry about her. It meant nothing, and you know it."

"She was your first." She whimpers.

"And you're my last." He replies, stroking her lower lip with his thumb. She nods, turning her head and kissing the inside of his hand. They stand in silence for a few moments, pressed together.

"I'll do it. But, if I have to choose which one of them I'm going to save, you better believe I'm going to save Peeta's ass."

"Understood." He agrees, tucking her into his side and kissing his temple.


End file.
